Gun industry said to remain strong after record year

NEWTOWN — The national firearms industry grew by a modest 0.3 percent in 2017, but in Connecticut, a state criticized by gun groups for its strict gun laws, the industry grew by 9 percent last year, adding 800 jobs.

“I have noticed more small gun shops are starting to open,” said Scott Wilson, president of the state’s largest gun owners group, the 30,000-member Connecticut Citizens Defense League. “And there has been another tremendous increase in pistol permits, which creates a larger market for people to buy guns and other merchandise.”

The 2017 firearms industry numbers show guns have a $51.4 billion impact on the economy, employing nearly 311,000 people directly or through related businesses.

The numbers, contained in an annual report by the Newtown-based National Shooting Sports Foundation, show that the industry remains strong after coming off a record year in 2016, the NSSF said.

In Connecticut, where the state Legislature passed bans on military-style rifles and large-capacity ammunition magazines after the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, the gun industry had been lagging behind the rest of the nation, the NSSF has argued.

That was not the case in 2017. Connecticut jobs in the firearms industry and related fields increased by 16 percent, and the industry statewide had a total economic impact of $1.4 billion, the NSSF report said.

That put Connecticut among the top five states in the country in per capita total economic output, and among the top 10 states in job growth, according to the report.

The NSSF, which represents 13,000 manufacturers, retailers, and ranges, did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.

Wilson said the strong Connecticut numbers were a clear message about support here for the Second Amendment.

“It just goes to show that whatever laws our legislature passes, people still want to be able to own guns and still want to shop for firearms,” Wilson said.